1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a flow path unit of a discharge fluid recycling type which is included in a droplet discharge type image forming apparatus and to an image forming apparatus that includes the flow path unit.
2. Related Art
In the related art, a technique for alleviating the sedimentation of components included in ink in a flow path has been known. For example, in JP-A-5-185600, a technique in which ink with even concentration is supplied by the spread of sedimentation or agglomerating of pigments within an ink supply tube being reduced by returning the supply ink within the ink supply tube to a supply ink retaining container via a supply ink recycling pipe is described.
In a case when a plurality of heads on which nozzles are formed are arranged in line in the horizontal direction, it can be conceived that there are sections in which the ink is transferred in the horizontal direction in pipes on the upper stream side that supply ink to such heads. Within a pipe that transfers ink in the horizontal direction, compared to an inclined pipe or a pipe that transfers ink in the vertical direction, sedimentation is not easily alleviated.